Blscteode



Oct. 27, 1925' O. MEYER-KELLER LIQUID ELEQTRODE Filed Aug. 12. 1921 1 l I l l I l l I I l l I I l 1 1 i l ll Patented Get. 27, 1925.

UNITED STATES OTTO MEYER-KELLER, OF LUZERN, SWITZERLAND.

LIQUID ELECTRODE.

Application filed August 12, 1921. Serial No. 491,778.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, O'rro MEYER-KELLER,

, engineer, a citizen of Switzerland, residing at N o. 45, Geissensteinstrasse, Luzern, Switzerland, have invented certan new and useful Improvements in Liquid Electrodes, of whichthe following is a specification.

To heat electrically conducting liquids electrode systems are employed, in which the liquid itself forms the heating resistance. Such electrode systems are practically made use or" for continuous heaters, hot-water accumulators, and boilers and such electrodes may be manufactured also for use in connection with high-voltage currents. This requires a high resistance which has been produced up to now by suitably bounding the column of liquid in the manner of an electric conductor, viz, as regards its length and its sectional area. That was efiected by introducing insulated electrodes into insulating tubes which were open at both ends and dipped into the liquid and bounded a part of the electrodes. The passage of current then takes place from the electrode through the enclosed liquid to the two open ends of the tube.

To regulate the efiect a second electrode metallically connected with the boiler casing has been introduced into the insulating tube, and the resistance was varied by lifting or lowering said second electrode and thus changing the length of the resistance way, whereby the effect was increased or decreased. By shortening the way the effect is increased and by lengthening the way the effect is decreased. Therefore, in the case of the effect being greater, the corresponding conversion of energy takes place in a smaller space than in the case of the effect being smaller. As at a greater intensity of current the sectional area is not enlarged, the construction in question entails severe drawbacks. At a certain density of the current a sudden evaporation of the column of water takes place, whereby the current is interrupted and very irregular working is brought about. In providing an insulating tube for housing the column of liquid another difliculty is encountered because of the fact that in the lower part of the tube within the liquid, steam bubbles form while rising, accumulate and detrimentally afiect the sectional area of the column of liquid, thus impairing the good operation of the boiler.

Besides the before-mentioned drawbacks,

it is also impossible to heat horizontal boilers by means of tubes of the kind in question. It the voltage is high the tubes must be extraordinarily long and become very expensive; furthermore, they are very likely to break. Besides, steamdiammers occurring in the tubes destroy them, and the concentrated generation of heat at distinct places of the tubes affects these latter severely and shortens their life. As the con ductivity of the water varies in wide limits it is impossible, in devising the tubes, to adapt them in a sufficient degree to the conditions. In each case circumstantial examinations of the water must take place in order to be able to compute approximately the correct sectional area of the tubes. As, however, the composition of the water varies extraordinarily and, for instance, in the case of purified water its concentration in the boilers increases more and more with the duration of the service of the boilers the regulating devices provided are in many cases rendered ineffective by the necessity of adjusting them to, or, more precisely, locking them in, the end-position whereby regulation is entirely prevented.

All these drawbacks are obviated in and by the present invention where a liquid electrode is made use of. This electrode ensures a free passage of the liquid while be ing heated. Accumulations of steam and steam-hammers cannot take place, and the regulation is effected in an electrically proper manner by increasing or decreasing the sectional area of the conduit. This permits of a very great regulation capacity whereby the device is made very independent of the conductivity of the water.

In order to make my invention more clear, I refer to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section through a liquid electrode constructed according to this invention. Figure 2 is a side view of it. Figure 3 is a horizontal section through it, the position corresponding to Figure 1. Figure 4 is an illustration similar to Figure 3, the position corresponding, however, to Figure 2 and the bodyhalves (c d) being little more apart from one another. Figure 5 is an illustration similar to Figure 1, showing the body-halves converging in downward direction. Figure 6 is a horizontal section through a slightly modified form of construction, there being three body members instead of two. Figure 7 is an illustration similar to Figure 3, showing also a modification. Figure 8 is a sideview of a horizontally arranged electrode. Figure 9 is a vertical transverse section through a horizontal boiler provided with some electrodes of the kind in question. Figure 10 is a vertical section through vertical boiler enclosing one large electrode. Figure 11 is an illustration similar to Figure 6, drawn on a somewhat larger scale and showing a slightly modified form of execution. Figure 12 shows the same execution, but one of the three members being in another position. Figure 13 is a horizontal section through a vertical boiler containing some electrodes of a special construction, as also more fully described hereinafter.

Referring first to Figures l-4, a is the insulated holder of or for the electrode 6 which is located between two insulating bodies 0 and (Z leaving between them slots through which the liquid finds access to the electrode. The current passes from the electrode 6 to the contents of the boiler by the mediation of the liquid surrounding the electrode and filling the slots between the bodies 0 and (Z. The distance between these latter may be varied whereby the sectional area of the slots is increased or decreased according to whether the bodies 0 d are approached, or removed from, each other (compare Figs. 3 and 4). The breadth of the insulating bodies 0 d is chosen in correspondence with the voltage employed in the service, and the width of the slots and the depth of immersion are chosen corresponding to the effect demanded. The liquid to be heated enters into the spaces between the members 0 (Z from below and leaves said spaces in the direction of the arrows shown in Figures 2, 3 and I. There is no accumulation of steam, and no steam-hammers can occur. lf the efiect shall become greater, the bodies 0 and d are adjusted more apart whereby the sectional area of the slots is increased, as in Figure Where the electrodes are arranged in vertical position, as in Figures 1 and 2, the regulation may be effected also by letting them converge, or diverge respectively, viz, increasing the distance between them in the direction from the foot to the top, as in Figure 5. The production of steam is in this case greater in the upper part than in the lower part of the electrode.

The sectional shape of the insulating bodies may be different from that shown in Figures 3 and i, and there may be more than two slots. In the form of construction shown in Figure 6 there are three members g h i representing approximately a triangle and forming three slots or passages for the liquid.

In the form of construction shown in Figures 7 and 8, the insulating bodies is and Z are horizontally disposed and enclose a fiat electrode on which is connected at each end with an insulated conductor. Also a hori zontal liquid electrode may consist of three parts, and a vertical, as well as a horizontal electrode may consist even of more than three parts in order to increase the efiective surface and the efficiency of the device. In every case the arrangement is very simple and effective and the heated liquid may freely escape.

In Figure 9 a horizontal boiler is provided with three liquid electrodes of the lrind shown in Figures 7 and 8. This arrangement is intended for three-phase current. In Figure 10 a vertical boiler is furnished with an electrode of the kind shown in Figures 1 and 2. The regulationis' effected in this case by letting the level of the water have a higher or lower position. In the first of these cases, for instance, the sec tional area of the liquid passage is increased, as is also the active conducting electrode surface. Regulating the effect is, thus, very simple.

Concerning the form of construction shown in Figures 11 and 12 and supposing that the members constituting the complete electrode are horizontally arranged, the regulation may be effected by lifting or lowering the upper member n (Fig. 12).

In Figure 13 three pairs rs rs as are provided, each forming a complete liquid electrode. The members 1* are rigidly connected with a vertical spindle t, by the rotation of which in the one or the other direction, the regulation is effected. This form of construction is also applicable especially in connection with threephase current, the phases being all regulated at a time.

Having now described my invention, what I desire to secure by a Patent of the United tates is:

l. A liquid electrode comprising in combination, a centrally arranged and vertically extending electrode, an insulating casing encircling said electrode and comprising a plurality of separable sections, each section consisting of a plate extending parallel with said electrode and being substantially rectangular in cross section, said plates being adapted to be positioned with respect to one another for forming radially extending passage ways orslots between said sections, and the slots arranged between the sides of said sections extending vertically throughout the lengths thereof.

2. A liquid electrode comprising in combination an electrode and an insulating casing encircling the same, said casing comprising a plurality of sections having passage ways therebetween, said sections being substantially triangular in cross section, one of said sections being adjustable whereby the area of several of said passage ways may be varied, and said passage Ways extending parallel to said electrode.

8. A liquid electrode comprising in combination an electrode and an insulating casing encircling the same, said casing comprising a plurality of sections having passage ways therebetween, said sections being substantially triangular in cross section, the apexes of said sections arranged adjacent to and parallel with said electrode, and one of 10 said sections being capable of lateral movement whereby the cross sectional area of said passages may be varied in an oblique direction.

In testimony whereof I herewith affix my 15 signature.

OTTO MEYER-KELLER, LNG. 

